New York Knicks: Who Stepped Up Against The Sacramento Kings?
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony responded to the recent drama with Phil Jackson by pouring in 15 points in the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings. It was an outstanding opening quarter from a player who was unexpectedly caught up in unnecessary drama.
As a result of his explosive first quarter, Anthony made history by becoming the fifth active and 29th overall player to eclipse 23,000 career points.
After recording 23 PTS in the first half vs the Kings, @carmeloanthony becomes just the fifth active @NBA player with 23,000+ career points. pic.twitter.com/CmKVRJvIab
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 10, 2016
Anthony finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, four assist, one block, and a steal in 36 minutes of action. He shot 9-of-22 from the field, 3-of-10 from beyond the arc, and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe in what ranks amongst his best performances in 2016-17.
The Knicks needed every bit of Anthony’s performance, as he was the only reliable scoring threat for a vast majority of the game.
Anthony could have come out and struggled in the midst of what’s been an unnecessarily distracting week. Instead, he utilized the commotion as motivation and made history in style with a stellar showing.
Anthony got the job done on both ends of the floor and very easily earned Player of the Year honors on the Knicks’ side of things.